Letter From The Editor: NOVEMBER

I gotta admit, October was an awesome month. I kicked it off with a visit to the Hello Kitty Cafe, followed by a fabulous birthday trip to Disneyland, complete with a dinner and cake at the Blue Bayou Restaurant (the restaurant inside Pirates of the Caribbean). My dog Charlie celebrated his 6th Gotcha Day. Then I headed to my hometown and celebrated my birthday again with family and a pumpkin patch.

With all of that activity, it's no wonder that October seems like the fastest month to me. I feel like I'm trying to catch up with life as the year begins to slip out of my grasp.

November, is that really you?

November is the month, for me, that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. There's so much beauty that just gets missed as we push forward to get to the holidays. It's when the leaves have reached their beautiful peak and the colors are glorious. It's when my makeup begins to match those jewel tones of nature. My hair gets a little darker. I get to pull out the sweaters and scarves.

I've decided that November, for me, is that "breather" month--a slight break before the holidays. I'll make sure to appreciate watching the leaves begin their last dance for the year. I'll be sure to soak up those fleeting moments of sunshine in the late afternoons. I'll be thankful for the little things.

As someone who meticulously plans out everything, I'm letting all of that go this month. I'll let things happen. I'll go plan-free and enjoy this last bit of autumn, with the knowledge that comes with my new age (still cannot believe how fast my birthday flew by), focusing on gratitude, coffee in hand, and pup by my side.

I can't wait to see what November brings.
--Be safe, behave, and be well.--
Love, Elle

What are you looking forward to this month?

DIY Halloween Bath Bomb (With Surprise Inside and Bonus DIY!)

Halloween is almost here, so I thought I'd share a last-minute DIY! If you follow me on Snapchat or Instagram, you got a sneak peek! I came up with this idea as one for kids but it can be made for anyone (aka ME). I promise y'all these don't take long at all to make. And the best part: there's a surprise inside! Here's how to make DIY Halloween Bath Bombs:

You'll need--

• bath bomb mold (I used a plastic ornament)
• 1 c baking soda
• 1/2 c cornstarch
• 1/2 c citric acid (online, canning section, health food stores)
• 2 tsp water
• neon orange (or red + yellow) soap colorant or food coloring
• plastic toy (I used a spider ring)
• optional: candy sprinkles
• optional: essential oil + 4 tsp coconut oil or oil of choice--I leave out fragrance for kids

You'll do--

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl. In another bowl, mix the water and coloring (and oils if doing that). 

Very carefully add a few drops at a time of the colored water to the dry ingredients and mix. Be patient with this step because the mix will begin to bubble if you add too much at a time. It should look  as pictured above.

In the bottom of each mold, place your Halloween sprinkles. These dissolve in the water, so no worries for using them in the tub. Leave out this step if desired. I forget this every time, but the dang sprinkles go every where when pouring.

Begin pressing the mixture into the mold. Add the plastic spider and then keep adding on top. Repeat on the other mold, sans spider.

Allow to dry for about 30 minutes and then place the molds together to make a ball. I place the mold on top of a cup or something similar so the mold won't fall over. After another 30 minutes, remove from the mold. Unless I'm in a time crunch, I'll just leave them overnight.

Place in a tub (demonstrated here in a cauldron bowl) and let them dissolve. Don't forget to tell the recipient there's a treat inside! This makes two big bath bombs.

BONUS! DIY Pumpkin Spice Bath Bombs!

-Follow the ingredients and directions above except add a pinch of pumpkin pie spice to the mix and leave out the sprinkles. I got the pumpkin mold at Walmart, but there are more online and in craft stores. I used red and yellow soap colorant for these. I was able to get almost a dozen of these.

Some reminders:

• These keep around 6-8 months (some I've kept up to a year, and they were fine).
• If giving this to a child make sure they are 3 or older, since there is a toy inside and that this isn't edible. Make sure the recipient (and parents) know there is a toy inside. I've never had any issues, but you can never be too careful.

Do you enjoy bath bombs?

What are you or kids going to be for Halloween?

Extra Elle:

Went home this past weekend to celebrate my birthday part 2! I got to take 2 nieces and 2 nephews to the pumpkin patch. They had so much fun playing (and the line was crazy long) that we never actually made it to the hayride for the pumpkins!

Check out more Pumpkin DIY ideas here.

Easy Pumpkin Spice DIY Ideas For Skin And Body

When I first starting posting my beauty DIYs 6 years ago, the Internet was less than accepting. Most people thought it was weird (you're putting WHAT on your face?) or weren't that into it. Now, DIY beauty is everywhere since the do it yourself and natural home remedies are popular--I've had spas use my recipes, even pet grooming places can use DIY beauty masks for dogs! I've got hundreds of recipes and ideas that I've shared so far, and I can't wait for even more of them on the blog.

And one of my favorite ingredients is pumpkin. Full of good-for-you-stuff, pumpkin (gourds) is SO good on the skin. I keep cans of it for use year-round. I've got a roundup of several that are easy to make and fun.

DIY Pumpkin Spice Highlighter

Add a little glow to the skin using two ingredients that you already have around the house!

DIY Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub

I call this fall in a scrub. Smells delicious and feels great on skin.

DIY Pumpkin Mask for Exhausted Skin

My friends call this the Halloween Hangover Mask. This is my go-to anytime I'm exhausted or stressed.

DIY Pumpkin Spice Macaron Bath Bombs

A twist on the regular bath bombs for fall!

DIY Pumpkin Spice Body Butter

If your skin gets dry during the colder months, give this a try.

DIY Pumpkin Spice Solid Sugar Scrubs

Love a sugar scrub but want something that is portable and lasts longer? This is your answer.

DIY Pumpkin Cheesecake Masque

Looks good enough to eat, right? It's a masque with a bit of a scrub at the end, so it's two treatments in one.

Pumpkin Pie Sugar Scrub

Before you make those pies this season, save a little for this body scrub.

Pumpkin Spice Bath Bombs
Make your bath smell amazing.

Do you DIY?

Extra Elle: I had a great birthday at Disneyland--did you see my Snapchat of every ride I went on? The only bad thing about leaving vacation? The catch up! Thanks for everyone who stopped by and commented this week on the blog.

Fall Beauty To Do List

Happy Monday, y'all! Has the weather finally cooled down a little where you are? It finally has in Atlanta and I couldn't be happier. Fall is my fave, and that extends to all things beauty OF COURSE!

I decided to make a little checklist for y'all, think of it as a Fall Beauty To-Do. These aren't the law by any means, just some little tweaks to make to your beauty routine. I've got drugstore and luxury suggestions, as always.

FOUNDATION

This all depends on where you live, but in the colder months, even though I do not tan anymore, my skin is a little lighter. It's around this time of year I switch my foundation for a shade lighter.

This too depends on location, but your foundation type might switch up during cooler months. I have some foundations that are perfect for summer but are way too drying for fall and winter. I switch those out.

CONDITION 

Did the summer heat fry your hair? Does the drier winter air cause frizz in your hair? Try some sort of a hair conditioning treatment. This could be a simple deep contioner, like the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle or Sally Hershberger 24 K Get Gorgeous. For a more intense hair masque, Davines NouNou is amazing or L'Oreal Oleo Therapy Deep Recovery Mask.

CLEANSING BALMS

What kind of facial cleanser do you use? Do you ever switch it up in the cooler months? Sometimes gel cleansers can be a bit drying when the temperature drops and that tight, pulling feeling is plum awful. I suggest cleansing balms--see my full list of suggestions here.

Darker Lips

You knew this was coming. It just isn't fall without a switch out of a darker lip color. But dark lips seem SO intimidating, right? It's all about finding the right formula and the right shade for you. I have tons of suggestions, if you need them.

• Balm--Fresh Sugar Berry is a great natural color
• Lip Crayons--These come in matte and shiny finishes. I love Revlon's.
• Liquid Lipstick--I tend to go to a matte lip in the fall, but I know that's not everyone's cup of tea. Check out this list of demi-matte liquid lipsticks that aren't drying!
• Berry Lipsticks--With these, go as intense as you feel comfortable with. TIP: To warm up to the idea, try swiping some on your finger and then dab the color on lips for a wash of darker color.

See also: 5 FALL LIPSTICKS $5

MOISTURIZE

And finally, finally, let's talk about moisturizing that skin. You might need to make a swap for something heavier. You might need to add in a facial mask here or there--check out my Sheet Mask Reviews for more info. TULA has been just the thing lately for my skin. Belif will be on the list once it's a little cooler. And I'm still loving Sleep Masks. Get more info on Sleeping Mask Reviews.

And here's my Fall Beauty Checklist cheat sheet!

Do you change your beauty routine with the seasons?

DIY Pumpkin Spice Highlighter

Y'all guess what? I'm back with another pumpkin-themed DIY! I'm an October baby, and my family/friends have given me pumpkins as presents over the years, so I've amassed a collection. And I love them. 

In fact, a couple of months ago, one of my friends was poking fun of how I have pumpkin everything. "I bet you have pumpkin makeup!" she teased. Well, in fact I do. Ahem: Burt's Bees pumpkin spice lip balm, PSL sugar scrub, PSL body butter, pumpkin masks, and now a pumpkin spice highlighter. 



I've been making my own highlighters/blushes/shadows/bronzers for years using broken shadows and pigments (here's a tutorial from a few years ago) but never did specific shapes until last year when I saw the pizza highlighter on Facebook. I immediately made cupcakes, ice cream cones, and other things inspired by it. Since those diys were so popular over the summer, I decided to wait until fall to post and am sharing my pumpkin spice highlighter. This is so much cuter in person--it is not photographing as shimmery as it is. And these are SO easy and fast to make!

Ingredients--

• empty compact (you can buy these wholesale or reuse an empty, clean one)
• pigments (look online) or shadows/highlighters/bronzers/blushes
• rubbing alcohol
• stirring and/or scooping object
• tissue or paper towel
• optional: lip or eye pencil

Directions--

Y'all, I can't draw, so I prefer to use an eye pencil to sketch out my design. Think of the shape of your compact and space. I used a round one here, but I have used square and rectangle as well.

In a small bowl, scoop out your first pigment color. While you can use whatever colors you'd like, I kept mine to more wearable highlight colors (y'all, I made a rainbow highlighter and looked ridiculous, but you do you). 

Add in a little of rubbing alcohol and mix. I find that eye shadows are a little lumpier than pigments, since eye shadows come pressed as opposed to loose pigments, but both work the same in the end. If it turns to liquid, add more pigment/shadow. You want a gloppy sort of mix as pictured above.

Scoop your mix into your container and repeat steps with other colors. I did a few of these, so some I did two colors and a couple I did 3 (background, pumpkin, stem). 

Once you have your design, place a tissue or paper towel on top and press to blot away excess alcohol. This will help press those lumps you might have had in your mix. I chose tissue since mine didn't have a pattern, but do what you like. The more you use the highlighter, the more the pattern will disappear anyway. 

Allow to dry for an hour (or longer) and then it's ready. I used 3 colors for some of these and two shades for others. You can use a sharp object to carve out lines, but those fade with use. I used flash here to show the sparkle a bit more.

Here are swatches of the highlighter! You can wear them together or separately. Below is with flash to really show off the sparkle.

With flash

And that's it! Do you use highlighters?

Extra Elle:

-Went diy-crazy this weekend--spray painting a candle holder, I made clay marble bowls, and a flameless fire pit. I also started my monthly makeup clean out. 

DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte Sugar Scrub AND Body Butter

I'm an October baby, so pumpkins will forever be a favorite of mine. And yes, I look forward to Starbuck's annual unveiling of its Pumpkin Spice Latte.

I may like the scent more than the taste though, and for those who feel the same (or are fanatics) I thought I'd share these TWO diys today. One of my post popular diys on here is my Pumpkin Spice Latte Sugar Scrub, so I updated it and added in a bonus of my Pumpkin Spice Latte Body Butter.

PSL Sugar Scrub

1 c sugar (I recommend raw)
1/2 c pumpkin puree (I used canned, but freshly pureed sugar/baking pumpkins works too)
1/4 c coconut oil or similar
1 tsp nutmeg (I used pumpkin spice)
Mix ingredients. Store in an air-tight container. Stir before using.
--Feel free to add a spoonful of used ground coffee beans

Since this uses pumpkin puree, I keep it in the fridge for about a week. For those wanting a longer-lasting product, I suggest pumpkin seed oil (I would forgo the coconut oil but add a big drop of vitamin E instead) or ground pumpkin seeds. You can easily get 3-6 months from those.

For presentation, I put the PSL Sugar Scrub in the Starbucks cup and then added the PSL Body Butter on top. If I am giving this as a gift, I really like using plastic dome lids to keep the scrub and the body butter separate. 

PSL Body Butter

1/c coconut oil

pinch of nutmeg or pumpkin spice
--Feel free to add a spoonful of pumpkin seed oil, but cut down the coconut oil amount to about 1/4c

Melt coconut oil in microwave. 

Freeze.

Using a hand mixer, mix the coconut oil until it becomes body butter consistency.

I used a piping bag to add it to the top of my sugar scrub.

Sprinkle with nutmeg or pumpkin spice. 

Sometimes I will add a drop of vanilla to the coconut oil after melting.

Coconut oil is VERY oily, so sometimes I'll use shea butter instead.

Remember, you don't have to put the two diys together. You can make either or both, like I did!

Also, be aware of skin sensitivities to cinnamon.

Doesn't it look like the real thing?

Extra Elle:

Busy weekend of football games, a visit to the Hello Kitty Cafe food truck, and a friend's birthday party. It flew by!

CHECK OUT MORE PUMPKIN RECIPES:

• DIY Pumpkin mask for Stressed Out Skin
• DIY PSL Macaron Bath Bombs

$5 Fall Flannel DIY Coasters

My sisters live about 5 hours away from me, and I don't get to see them as much as I'd like, so I've found ways to keep us close--I thought we'd all do a $5 Fall Craft Challenge. It's just a fun thing we like to do. Their crafts are at the end of the post. I decided to make Fall Flannel Coasters, since fall officially begins tomorrow. These are just right for holding those yummy fall drinks and making everything all cozy. Here's how I made them:

You'll need:

• flannel shirt (or flannel pajama pants)
• coasters (square ones are easier to work with)
• glue gun
• scissors

You'll do:

• I was originally going to make this with a sweater, but decided that was too bulk/fibers could melt, so I went with cozy flannel. Since I didn't have one I wanted to part with, I headed to Goodwill thrift store and grabbed one for a couple of bucks. They have them in the women, kid, and men's departments. You can also try pajama pants.
• Next, I bought coasters. These were a little over a dollar. I wanted square ones since they would be easier to work with.
• Place the coaster on the fabric (more hints in the video below) and cut out slightly larger than the flannel.

Then you'll add glue and place the fabric on top, smoothing out bumps. Flip over (as pictured) and glue to sides down. You can cut away the excess fabric if needed. You can see a demo of this in the video.

And that's it! Your DIY flannel coasters (made under $5) are ready for your favorite fall drink. I enjoyed mine out on my balcony. Here's a quick 2 minute video showing all of that--I'm really happy with how this came out, so I hope you watch:

https://youtu.be/Vi7XF7OsjR4

And here's what my sisters made for their $5 Fall Craft Challenge:

My sister Jess took a curtain she found at Dollar General and turned it into slip covers (see the before and after above) and as panels on her entertainment center. She said she didn't sew them.

My sister Holly made this fall candle arrangement using materials she found at Dollar General: hurricane lamp, popcorn kernels (free), fall decorative leaves, and an orange ribbon!

What did you think of the video?

What's your fave fall drink?